tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69140674503504207282024-03-05T12:55:03.358+00:00Anna Scott JotsWriting about books. Writing about writing.Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.comBlogger107125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-92074594177138767872016-01-29T14:38:00.000+00:002016-01-31T11:55:01.299+00:00Introducing the (RE)Sisters YA Anthology (and some of my writing...)The first two months of the year are usually ones of laziness, boredom, regret and hiding under the duvet. But not in 2016! Oh no. Not for me anyway. Ok, maybe just a little bit. But my traditional post -Christmas blues have been warmed up somewhat by some exciting news...<br />
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<a href="http://forbookssake.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Resisters-Concept.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Resisters-Anthology-For-Books-Sake" border="0" src="http://forbookssake.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Resisters-Concept.jpg" height="320" width="204" /></a>Last year I submitted a short story to the wonderful <a href="http://forbookssake.net/">For Books Sake</a> when they announced they <img alt="Displaying Resisters-Cover.jpg" src="blob:https%3A//mail.google.com/d24a4ba5-466e-47a7-8343-a016830780c7" /><img alt="Displaying Resisters-Cover.jpg" src="blob:https%3A//mail.google.com/d24a4ba5-466e-47a7-8343-a016830780c7" />would be putting together a YA anthology and lo and behold it got selected! With the release date for (<b>RE)Sisters</b> now on the horizon (<a href="http://bit.ly/RESisters">8th February people</a>), I thought I'd share a bit about how my story came about as well as a sneaky extract.<br />
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It all started with a prompt. My writing buddy <a href="http://weartheoldcoat.com/">Jo</a> and I selected three music videos for each other with the idea of creating a few paragraphs inspired by each one, and my story, <b>Operation M</b>, began life as a response to the video for 'People Help the People' by Birdy. For this particular prompt, I quickly found I couldn't stop until I eventually ended up with something that had the potential to become a fully formed short story which doesn't happen too often with me. I suppose the moral is that you never really know where you're going to find your next dollop of inspiration. Oh, and try out writing prompts because they really work - you might not come out with a story at the end of it all, but they're great practice and a good laugh which is just as important in the whole scheme of things I think.<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i>I
don’t expect it was how they’d planned it. Maybe they didn’t have a plan at
all. Maybe they were just going to wait and wait and eventually forget that I
hadn’t left the house in several years, or that I was even there at all. I’d
tried to explain to Dr Carroll that the triggers, the clues, they weren’t
working. But he said I needed to have patience and that eventually I might be
able to remember the name of our first dog (Barry, apparently) or what my
favourite subject at school was, or what my cousin Christine looks like, or
that our neighbour used to have a budgie called Brilliant Bill who I liked to
talk to when I was six (according to my sister Caitlin, Mrs Briggs was very
disappointed that this wasn’t one of the very first things that came back to me
after I woke up). I hadn’t forgotten everything. I could remember what it felt
like when Mother was in hospital giving birth to my brother Alastair (like
standing on the edge of a ravine). But I couldn’t remember the name of Alastair’s
boarding school, or why he’s scared of cats. And I knew almost immediately that
I didn’t particularly like the company of Caitlin, but I still couldn’t
remember her middle name, no matter how many times I’d been told it before
she’d slammed yet another door in my face. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">So what about this anthology then? Well, it's called <b>(RE)Sisters</b> and it's a celebration of women and girls in all our diverse glory. To find out more (and to pre-order), have a look <a href="http://bit.ly/RESisters">here</a>, and if you end up reading my story in full, you might find out how what that extract has in common with the video below...</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OmLNs6zQIHo" width="560"></iframe>Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-54631840331365448112015-10-03T12:54:00.001+01:002015-10-03T12:54:31.362+01:00YA Shot Readathon: My Review PicksAbout 18 months ago, we were very, very close to moving to Hillingdon in west London. It didn't happen in the end and I've never regretted so much as when I found out about <a href="https://yashot.wordpress.com/">YA Shot</a>. This is a day-long festival involving 71 Young Adult and Middle Grade authors participating in talks and workshops across Uxbridge on 28th October 2015, with the event launching a year long series of author visits throughout the London Borough of Hillingdon.<br />
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Alas, I no longer live anywhere near Hillingdon and am absolutely gutted that I can't attend*. However, I <i>can</i> do the next best thing and read some of the books by some of the authors involved in YA Shot. The lovely <a href="http://www.flutteringbutterflies.com/2015/09/yashot-readathon-sign-ups-and-tbr.html">Michelle over at Fluttering Butterflies has organised a YA Shot Readathon</a> for the coming month leading up to the event and I've picked out 3 books that I'm going to devour and review before 28th October...<br />
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<b><u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17617648-banished">Banished</a> by Liz de Jager</u></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382528123l/17617648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Banished (The Blackhart Legacy, #1)" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1382528123l/17617648.jpg" width="131" /></a>This one's been on my TBR list for a criminally long time, so I think this is the ideal opportunity to rectify that situation. I have a confession to make about YA fantasy - I don't read that much of it. Not because I don't want to, but more because these days, my reading tends to be done in short, sharp bursts and with fantasy novels, I feel like I have to have the space and time to completely immerse myself in that world. But I'm going to do my darndest to find that space and time for this book, I promise.<br />
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<b><u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25195782-bitter-sixteen?ac=1">Bitter Sixteen</a> by Stefan Mohamed</u></b><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1440595404l/25195782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Bitter Sixteen" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1440595404l/25195782.jpg" width="130" /></a>A book that I was absolutely convinced I'd already bought but after some investigation, it turned out I was mistaken, yet another situation I need to rectify. Anyway, I think I first heard about this one through following the publisher, Salt, on Twitter. I've always found their short story anthologies really interesting, so picking this one was a no brainer.<br />
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<b><u><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23126431-monster?ac=1">Monster</a> by CJ Skuse</u></b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427975804l/23126431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Monster" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1427975804l/23126431.jpg" width="126" /></a>God, there's so much to get excited about with this book, I don't know where to begin. A boarding school, a mythical (or perhaps not so mythical) beast, people disappearing...unfortunately I can't afford to buy a copy until after pay day (I mean, who else has a pay day in the middle of the month?), but when I do <i>finally</i> have some quids to spend, I'll be on it like a car bonnet.<br />
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I have my realistic spectacles on and I know it's very unlikely that I'll finish more than 3 books before October 28th, but I promise I shall review all of them as and when. Hopefully before then.<br />
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Maybe.<br />
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No, definitely.<br />
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*YA Shot attendance update! Since I started writing this post, I've realised that I might possibly be able to attend after all. So I'll see you there!<br />
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Maybe...<br />
<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-80022243367837157982015-09-23T11:04:00.002+01:002015-09-28T15:03:01.080+01:001K a Day - My First Draft JourneyThis is the first writing post I've done in quite a while and for once, one of the main reasons for my lack of blog posts isn't to do with stress or workload, or any of the other slightly depressing reasons I usually give, but because I've actually been doing some actual writing! Of a book! It's all very exciting. Well, for me it is.<br />
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I very much conform to the rule that writing shouldn't have rules, because everybody is different, everybody works in a different way. However, in the past I've found it very useful to read about how writers write, because in order for me to discover what way works best for me, I need to give different methods a go. In fact, I've gone through several years of trying a number of different ways to get that first draft written.<br />
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And most of the time I have failed.<br />
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But this is all part of the process, something I have to remind myself of on a daily basis.<br />
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This isn't the first draft I've ever started by the way. The first one I completed nearly five years ago and mainly came about through the process of spewing out a ridiculous amount of words with only a half-formed idea in my head. I'm not saying this might not work for some, but on that occasion it left me with something completely unreadable that I couldn't even begin to start editing. A year or two later I managed to get halfway through another draft based on the same idea. This was a bit more successful, but then a problem arose that I wasn't really sure how to approach - I fell out of love with my story. I suppose I had a choice, whether to battle on through or to abandon it and I chose the latter. I'm still not really sure whether this was the correct decision, but that WIP is still there, waiting for the day when I shall hopefully develop warm feelings towards it again.<br />
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<a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/new-girl-writing-zxrwu28Odqus0">via GIPHY</a><br />
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After that I left a new idea to stew in my head. Some might call this procrastination (probably because it is procrastination), but I still maintain that letting it stew was the best possible thing I could have done. Every time I started to jot down notes on a piece of paper, I instinctively knew I wasn't ready and that with every word I wrote, I lost just a little bit more faith in the whole thing. So in order to feel like I was actually working towards something, I put my research hat on.<br />
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And this brings me up to the almost-present. I'm attempting to write historical YA and I was recently faced with yet another decision - when to stop researching and start writing. After consulting with my writing partner Jo, whose advice was something along the lines of 'just get on with it' (said in a much nicer way because she's a very nice person), I realised the time had come to begin another first draft.<br />
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In the past I've tried not planning, planning a bit, spending one day a week writing, getting up at 5 in the morning to write and writing in the evening, all with varying degrees of success. I used to be able to do plenty after I'd put the kids to bed, but these days my brain shuts down at 7.30 pm on the dot. I spent a while wondering why this was the case until I realised it was probably just came down to the fact that I'm now OLD and I for the time being I would just have to accept that evenings weren't my most productive period of the day.<br />
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Unless being productive means binge-watching Parks and Recreation, in which I case I'm the Queen of Productivity.<br />
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My brain now works best in short, sharp bursts, and it's peak performance time is when I've come home from dropping the kids off at school and I've had a least two black coffees. So this is when I write my 1000 words every morning, before I do any other work. I very rarely go over 1k because it then starts to feel like a chore.<br />
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And you know what? It's actually working for once. Not only am I getting words down, but I'm enjoying writing again. This book may not be 'The One', but right at this moment, writing it is making me very happy indeed and that's all I can really ask for.<br />
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<a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/reaction-typing-unpopular-opinion-13GIgrGdslD9oQ">via GIPHY</a><br />
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But be sure to return at a later date when I write a post entitled 'THE SECOND DRAFT FROM HELL'.<br />
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<a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/sad-parks-and-recreation-leslie-knope-O6p0jrypjfctO">via GIPHY</a>Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-41029073688955613672015-09-05T14:44:00.002+01:002015-09-05T14:44:46.904+01:00Recent Review Round Up - Holiday ReadingIts'a amazing how many books you can go through when you give you brain a week off from everything else. Ok, so three and a bit books in two weeks might not sound like very many, but this is pretty impressive for my easily distracted brain right now. I'll start doing the odd full review again soon, but in the mean time here are three reads that got me thinking this summer...<br />
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<b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22677129-the-paying-guests">The Paying Guests</a></i> - Sarah Waters</b><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404800154l/22677129.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Paying Guests" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1404800154l/22677129.jpg" width="124" /></a>This is the first Sarah Waters book I've read and it certainly won't be the last. Is that enough of a review do you think? If I don't end here then I'm in danger of offering you up an essay about it, but I shall continue and try to keep it brief. I've made a resolution to start reading a bit more adult fiction, and this book has set the bar, quite frankly - a masterclass in how to write a well-drawn, living breathing character. I was slightly daunted by the length (as I said, I get easily distracted), but there wasn't a single wasted word. The story of how the arrival of Lilian and Leonard impact on the formerly well-to-do Frances Wray and her mother is tense and romantic in equal measure.<br />
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Am staring to think I should have written a full review of this because now, as I'm typing, I have ALL THE THOUGHTS. Oh well.<br />
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<b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12700353-me-and-earl-and-the-dying-girl">Me and Earl and the Dying Girl</a></i> - Jesse Andrews</b><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337216932l/12700353.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1337216932l/12700353.jpg" width="133" /></a>I'm conflicted about this one. I enjoyed it. It was smart and funny (very funny) and refreshing, and I wish there was some way to bottle that feeling you get when you read something truly unique in YA fiction (sorry, but it just doesn't happen that often). I just wasn't entirely convinced by Andrews's attempts to subvert a the common dying teenager YA trope. It just felt like he should have pushed the button a bit more - tricky, I know - because I was just left with the feeling that the book hadn't quite managed to detach itself completely with that particular trope and that it had shied away from a few issues it touched upon. But whatever drawbacks I had with it, the voice is one of the most convincing I've read in recent months.<br />
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<b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18189606-since-you-ve-been-gone">Since You've Been Gone</a></i> - Morgan Matson</b><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1377702326l/18189606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Since You've Been Gone" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1377702326l/18189606.jpg" width="132" /></a>I enjoyed <i><a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/travel-month-review-amy-and-rogers-epic.html">Roger and Amy's Epic Detour</a></i> and I was looking for a good contemporary YA to get my teeth into. This had been sitting on my kindle for a while and seemed to fit the bill. However, I was THIS (imagine me holding up my fingers to indicate a short distance) close to giving up on it about half way through - shy Emily may have felt realistic, but my patience with her as a main character was starting to wane, I still hadn't gotten any sense of who her missing best friend Sloane really was and the flashbacks felt cumbersome. BUT, exactly slap bang int he middle, it drew me in and I started to care, really care, about all of them. I adore YA books about complicated friendships and I'm happy to say this one ended up being incredibly moving. Plus, there were also some excellent playlists hidden in these pages (although I much preferred Frank's taste in music to Emily's - sorry country fans).<br />
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<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-69460049593734236742015-06-17T13:40:00.002+01:002015-06-17T13:53:09.396+01:00Judy Blume Readalong - 'Forever'I see the words 'Judy Blume readalong' crop up on my Twitter feed and my first thought is I'M THERE. Wouldn't that be everyone's first thought, surely? I had planned on my own read through of the Blume's back catalogue last summer <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Judy%20Blume">after going to her talk at Waterstones in Piccadilly</a>, but I only got as far as <i>Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing</i> swiftly followed by <i>Superfudge. </i>Might get around to writing those reviews one of these days...<br />
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Anyway, when I saw <a href="https://dellasays.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/fancy-joining-me-for-a-judy-blume-readalong-readalongralph/">Keris Stainton had organised a Judy Blume readalong</a> in preparation for the author's appearance at YALC in July, I was grabbing my copy of <i>Forever</i> off the shelf before you could say 'no, I really don't want to take a look at Ralph thank you', because, yes, the first book to be read was <i>Forever</i>, and the Twitter hashtag was <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/readalongralph?src=hash">#readalongralph</a>. Anyone who read this book in their youth (or indeed their adulthood) knows all about Ralph.<br />
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RALPH.<br />
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My own memories of <i>Forever</i> are vague to say the least. I remember Ralph, of course, and I remember the rug and the events which took place on the rug but other than that, it was all a bit hazy. Basically I remember the sex. When I first encountered this book I was about 11 and I couldn't quite believe there was a book that talked about willies, and now, as a 35-year-old reading this is 2015, I'm still struggling to get my head around that fact. It's so strange to think that a YA book written and published in the 1970s with this much frank sexual content probably wouldn't be published now (or would it? My instincts think not. Maybe I'm wrong). Does this mean we're regressing, or that teens want less-in your-face sex in their books? Or that (more likely) we're underestimating teenagers' abilities to grasp the realities of sex, downsides and all?<br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336667155l/13643648.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Forever" border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1336667155l/13643648.jpg" width="209" /></a>This leads me onto the book itself. There is a lot to love about <i>Forever</i>, but I'm not entirely convinced it worked as whole. I remember when I went to her talk last year, she said she wanted to write a book about teenagers having sex where no one died, and this is the thing I appreciated most about it - a realistic depiction of teenage sex that feels just as relevant now as I imagine it would have done when first released, and the fact that this sort of frankness isn't rally found in most contemporary YA means Forever is even more vital today. I loved the trademark Blume sense of humour, the rich selection of engaging supporting characters and perhaps most of all, I loved the positive depictions of women and girls - a grandmother who once ran for Congress, a supportive best friend who's mother is a leading film critic, a anthropologist sister - all this is depicted in a very naturalistic way, just as it should be, because it <i>is</i> natural to be surrounded by strong, clever, supportive women.<br />
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But the fact that these supporting characters were so well depicted shines a light on the shortcomings of Katherine and Michael. They were just a little bit dull in comparison. Katherine made a lot of mature decisions but I never really understood what she saw in Michael. It's never really explain why he is THE ONE, the only really indication being that she loves him because he shows an interest in her - realistic, perhaps but still not very satisfying from a reader's point of view, and I think that same sentiment can be used to sum up Michael too.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrpUopBnP5R1R-emVJuZPWZbj8f0EF_pJ6784NjdYzxyYD9cMbsCWpwa3cmTHfKPYhfg9bHsEOM9Wspl6JXmTe9jaQROQlR79ruYjoaTIEfPkQdU2YNY_PzoVjEyD4fRyM7eq81Q8utw3/s1600/IMAG0698.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrpUopBnP5R1R-emVJuZPWZbj8f0EF_pJ6784NjdYzxyYD9cMbsCWpwa3cmTHfKPYhfg9bHsEOM9Wspl6JXmTe9jaQROQlR79ruYjoaTIEfPkQdU2YNY_PzoVjEyD4fRyM7eq81Q8utw3/s320/IMAG0698.jpg" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">PRECIOUS</td></tr>
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<i>Forever</i> still feels like a very important book and I'm glad I revisited it. However, in writing a book about sex, some other things that would have made this a better read, like plot, took a back seat. So a vital book, yes, but by no means a perfect one.<br />
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Just quick request for publishers to please keep in the small, beautiful reminders that this is a period piece in future editions - Katherine's brushed nylon nightdress, her joy at the mushrooms embroidered onto her jeans, a teenagers' fondue party (although perhaps this would happen today in an ironic way) and the icing on the cake, Theo and his glorious moustache.<br />
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Long live Theo and his glorious moustache!<br />
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<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-68682916808603377682015-06-10T10:12:00.001+01:002015-06-10T10:12:23.439+01:00YA REVIEW: 'This is Not a Love Story' - Keren David (Atom, 2015)<b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Kitty dreams of a beautiful life, but that's impossible in suburban London where her family is haunted by her father's unexpected death. So when her mum suggests moving to Amsterdam to try a new life, Kitty doesn't take much persuading. Will this be her opportunity to make her life picture perfect? </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">In Amsterdam she meets moody, unpredictable Ethan, and clever, troubled Theo. Two enigmatic boys, who each harbour their own secrets. In a beautiful city and far from home, Kitty finds herself falling in love for the first time. </span></i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b><i>But will love be everything she expected? And will anyone's heart survive?</i></b> (Synopsis from<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22838328-this-is-not-a-love-story"> Goodreads</a>)</span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424443107l/22838328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="This is Not a Love Story" border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1424443107l/22838328.jpg" width="201" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">It's no secret that I love Keren David's books (see <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/ya-review-when-i-was-joe-keren-david_11.html">here</a> and <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/ya-review-almost-true-keren-david.html">here</a>) - I don't think there's any other author that</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> nails the British teenage experience quite like she does. Although I've haven't reviewed it here, her previous book </span><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22713615-salvage">Salvage</a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> manages to balance realistic characters, engaging plot and heart-rending issues, something that I imagine is far trickier than it looks. I hate describing reads as 'issue' books, because it somehow feels like a disparaging comment rather than a compliment, with an automatic assumption that for a book to deal with tough or diverse issues, it has to sacrifice something in terms of plot or character. Ok, this has been true of some books but as </span><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This is Not a Love Story </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">shows, just as <i>Salvage</i> did, it's more than possible to write about issues without sacrificing anything at all.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This where the similarities with<i> Salvage</i> end, however. Whereas that previous book put me through the emotional ringer by confronting some of the darker parts of society, <i>This is Not a Love Story </i>beams positivity and is one of the most refreshing books I've read in a long time. In fact, I can't think of anything it really falls into the same bracket as at all. Kitty's optimistic outlook on life is infectious and seeps through every page. I adored Kitty, but then I adored Theo and Ethan too - can't actually choose between them and wouldn't want to! </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This is the most realistic depiction of modern teens I've read in a long time - they're funny, emotional, they don't always have all the answers and they make mistakes, but then they move on. Their small expat community reminded me a lot of my gap year interactions many moons ago - you arrive in a new place, you fall in with a group and you get along with people no matter what your differences.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This is the first YA book I've read about Judaism and I loved the way it was presented as both a uniting force and common ground between Kitty and Theo, but also showed how religion isn't one dimensional - their upbringings had more differences than they did similarities and this connection wasn't the be all and end for them. Also, a s</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">hout out to the structure of the story - the added element of mystery ensured this a proper, bonefide page turner.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">So whereas <i>This is Not a Love Story</i> isn't a love story (or is it?...), this review definitely is - a love story between woman and book (imagine a heart emoji right here - I don't how to do one on my desktop, sorry).</span></span>Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-7938900426615711912015-06-06T09:00:00.000+01:002015-06-06T09:00:15.382+01:00Past on Paper: 1950s YA REVIEW - 'Out of the Easy', Ruta Sepetys (Speak, 2013)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsP3jhRFSfmUtYVEmOsIcu4w93-qLEbRct3QWZaT5k46lhoLFNVaTro9-rw-ZAEail0GXerwErYIj2sUq0V4Z6FaAEm1U7ZG1xu6GM-bdt91GVQMAcE30G_LDELOZOZRLwrQPwQ5HqHYHT/s1600/Past+on+Paper+Feature+Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsP3jhRFSfmUtYVEmOsIcu4w93-qLEbRct3QWZaT5k46lhoLFNVaTro9-rw-ZAEail0GXerwErYIj2sUq0V4Z6FaAEm1U7ZG1xu6GM-bdt91GVQMAcE30G_LDELOZOZRLwrQPwQ5HqHYHT/s200/Past+on+Paper+Feature+Logo.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">It’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b style="font-style: italic;">She devises a plan to get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test. </b>(<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16153296-out-of-the-easy">Synopsis from Goodreads</a>)</span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409325444l/16153296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Out of The Easy" border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1409325444l/16153296.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm resurrecting my <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Past%20on%20Paper">Past on Paper</a> feature! Hurrah! And seeing as this book is set in 1950 then it will hopefully be the first of many more 20th century-set book reviews (the books are set in the 20th century, not the reviews, obvs).</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been on a historical fiction binge at the moment which inevitably led me to this. Unlike pretty much </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">everyone else in the universe, I've haven't read Ruta Sepetys debut, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7824322-between-shades-of-gray">Between Shades of Gray</a></i> so I was coming to this one without any preconceptions apart from perhaps the irresistable-sounding synopsis - I mean, hello? 'Mysterious death', New Orleans in 1950 - how could anyone NOT be excited by this?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I'm happy to say it didn't disappoint in the slightest. In fact, it might just be one of my favourite pieces of historical fiction, YA or otherwise. This is largely down to the expertly balanced combination of intriguing plot, brilliant protagonist and a coming of age tale that got right under my skin. This is a YA that isn't afraid of the seedier sides of life, with sex, power and frustration filtering through it's every paragraph. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">There is an impressive array of complex supporting characters. Much like she has used this historical setting to bring an authentic background to the story, I feel like Sepetys has done the same with all the players in this tale - from Josie's various surrogate parent figures in the form of brothel madam Willie, driver Cokie and bookshop owner Charlie Marlowe, to the characters who drift in and out of the story in a way to create a richer picture. Without going into spoiler territory, the romance element feel almost like a bonus, not integral to the story, more like a happy side effect, and it was all the more refreshing because of this.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">However the very best thing about <i>Out of the Easy</i> was Josie. The description 'bad ass book lover' may sound a bit cringey but it perfectly sums her up. More than aware of the cards her upbringing has dealt her, she remains focused and determined, using her experience of the slightly seedier side of the tracks to push her own agenda. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">I'd just like to thank Ms Sepetys for writing a book that bought me out of my reviewing slump and given me a renewed appreciation for the intricacies and power of great historical fiction (and great mysteries).</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">(Thanks to my old local bookshop, I have a copy of the US edition, rather than the UK, hence the photo)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-23642528012702530932015-06-05T13:30:00.002+01:002015-06-05T13:30:53.498+01:00Anna calling...Hello there.<br />
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It's been a while.<br />
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I've just scanned through my recent (ahem) posts and have noticed that I titled a blog post similar to this one as 'It's been a while' but I feel it needs to be said again because it has. Again.<br />
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Without going into a huge amount of detail, the last year was, on the whole, a bit crap. We moved house twice, my dad died and a lot of things, including this blog, fell by the wayside.<br />
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The thought of writing reviews put me off reading books in the first place, and recently, without the pressure of making myself have an opinion on them, I've found myself enjoying books again. I've been reading a lot more widely than I used to and the result is that, in not forcing myself to review, I've actually wanted to to, as it the way of life sometimes. So I'm making tentative steps towards blogging again, not just writing about YA books this time, but also other stuff, including posts about my own writing, something that also fell by the wayside last year.<br />
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However, some good stuff has happened. We are now the owners of two gorgeous cats, I started posting a lot more pics on <a href="https://instagram.com/scottyjotty/">Instagram</a> (cat ownership may or may not have something to do with this), and I'm starting to become a lot more active on <a href="http://scottyjotty.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> (well, more at the re-blogging rather than the actual blogging but it's a start).<br />
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Anyway, it's good to be back xxx<br />
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<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-8733969000034486682014-07-30T16:28:00.000+01:002014-08-01T15:17:27.623+01:00YA REVIEW: 'We Were Liars' - E. Lockhart (Hot Key Books, 2014)<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><b><i>Three cousins, Cadence, Johnny and Mirren, along with outsider Gat, make up the four Liars. The cousins are Sinclairs, born into privilege and promise and every summer they congregate on the family's private island. After a terrible accident, a damaged Cadence has to sift through the murky waters of her extended family to find out the truth about the incident...</i></b></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402749479l/16143347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="We Were Liars" border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1402749479l/16143347.jpg" width="211" /></a>When I finished this, I stated on Goodreads that I probably wasn't going to write a review because the less you know about this book before you read it the better. Even though I didn't know any concrete facts, I had heard whispers on the breeze and even whispers can do damage to a reading experience such as this. But then certain books live on in your head long after you've finished them and they deserve to be praised. I've successfully managed to<a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/ya-review-whats-up-with-jody-barton.html"> write a spoiler-free review of a book before, a similar sort of book that requires spoiler-free reading</a> and I think I did an alright job if I say so myself. So here goes. If you really,<i> really</i> don't want to know anything else about <i>We Were Liars</i> before you start it, I suggest you stop reading here (but only after I've said you really need to think about starting it very soon)...<br />
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I'm rubbish with books that are steeped in hype. I become a very cynical sort and even more judgey than I usually am (not something I'm particularly proud of) but this makes it all the more satisfying when a book <i>does</i> live up to all the praise. Let's start off with the best thing about <i>We Were Liars</i> - the writing. It's sparse, but I like sparse. Why use five words when you can use one? And because this style is so uncompromising, the voice is too and I don't think it needs pointing out that this is a Very Good Thing indeed (but I will anyway - it is a Very Good Thing). Cadence is the perfect character to lead us through the lives of the Sinclair family - revered, but enough of an outsider to show them warts and all.<br />
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From my own experience, there is not much to relate to with the wealthy Sinclairs but as with all good storytelling, this didn't matter a jot. This may have been a book about rich white dudes but it was also a book about prejudice and the abuse of power and love, common themes in many novels but here used in a very clever way. It felt very old-fashioned in some ways, perhaps to do with the setting. On starting it, I kept getting flashbacks of scenes from <i>Dynasty</i>, but here there were less shoulder-pads and more shabby-chic preppiness. I guess this is all testament to the strength of the writing again and her amazing ability to build this world of privilege in such amazing and convincing detail.<br />
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There were a few things that made it not quite perfect - it slowed down quite a lot in the middle for me (that's all I will say about this because to say anymore would be alluding to those whispers on the breeze mentioned above) and I would have enjoyed a bit more detail about the other Liars at the beginning. This is quite a quick read and we're thrown into the middle of events early on - as a consequence, it took me a little while to get to grips with some of the characters.<br />
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But these are minor gripes. <i>We Were Liars</i> deserves all the attention it's been getting. It is a clever, involving story with plenty of mystery, and I'm all for clever stories, especially when they are told this well.<br />
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<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-71337315180269243702014-07-25T16:04:00.002+01:002015-06-05T18:26:55.353+01:00MG REVIEW: 'Murder Most Unladylike' - Robin Stevens (Corgi, 2014)<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Deepdean School for Girls, 1934. When Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong set up their very own deadly secret detective agency, they struggle to find any truly exciting mysteries to investigate. (Unless you count the case of Lavinia's missing tie. Which they don't, really.) </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">But then Hazel discovers the Science Mistress, Miss Bell, lying dead in the Gym. She thinks it must all have been a terrible accident - but when she and Daisy return five minutes later, the body has disappeared. Now the girls </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">know</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"> a murder must have taken place . . . and there's more than one person at Deepdean with a motive. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Now Hazel and Daisy not only have a murder to solve: they have to prove a murder happened in the first place. Determined to get to the bottom of the crime before the killer strikes again (and before the police can get there first, naturally), Hazel and Daisy must hunt for evidence, spy on their suspects and use all the cunning, scheming and intuition they can muster. But will they succeed? And can their friendship stand the test? </b>(<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18070753-murder-most-unladylike">Synopsis from Goodreads</a>)</span><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394039050l/18070753.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Murder Most Unladylike (Wells and Wong, #1)" border="0" height="320" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394039050l/18070753.jpg" width="207" /></a>Although this book is set in 1934, I'm not going to put it in my <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Past%20on%20Paper">Past on Paper</a> feature because it just feels all wrong calling it historical fiction. Even though it's historical and a work of fiction.Yes, the voice very much depends on this particular time period but (and there's massive clue in the title here) this is very much in the realms of the mysterious for me. It pays homage to both Agatha Christie and her ilk as well as classic boarding school stories but somehow manages to be something else entirely.<br />
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First admission: the crime element wasn't the page-turner I thought it was going to be. Maybe it was the 'school girl investigators' angle because this subsequently put a bit of distance between the main characters and the other players or just that the plot didn't unfold quickly enough for me. Not really sure, but the book made up for it in other ways...<br />
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The cover design and synopsis gave the impression of something light-hearted - apart from that whole murder thing - and even though the tone was upbeat, it surprised me with an underlying darkness, not to do with the murder (maybe partly to do with the murder *resists urges to say MURDER in Taggart-like fashion*) but with the relationship between Hazel Wong and Daisy Wells, our two detectives. Hazel is the put-upon 'secretary' of their secret society who records everything in her casebook and describes the frustration and occasional upset the actions of her best friend cause. Daisy is definitely manipulative, possibly slightly sociopathic (can someone be slightly sociopathic?) but never boring. What kept me turning the pages was their 'friendship' - a very realistic depiction of how one personality can dominate another and it gave the book another dimension.<br />
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A good voice can make a book and here it never falters. Hazel is a very sympathetic character and the combination of her keen observation and naivety make her a great storyteller - I would have loved to hear more about her life in Hong Kong but hopefully this might be developed further on in the series. And even though this is Hazel's story, I hope Daisy and her background get featured in future adventures, especially after that little taster at the end...<br />
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Despite being the tiniest bit disappointed in the actual crime (although I applaud the clever resolution), this was a surprising mystery in more ways than you might think...<br />
<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-14323646926279388752014-07-05T10:32:00.001+01:002014-07-05T10:32:11.807+01:00Recent Review Round UpIn lieu of about six month's worth of reviews, I bring you one big post containing some of the stuff I've enjoyed recently. You may have noticed that this is not a 'YA Review Round Up' because it is not exclusively YA (trying to broaden my reading a bit here). But it's still mostly YA. There's no way I'm cutting down the YA intake.<br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380492640l/17797456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Shadowplay (Micah Grey, #2)" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380492640l/17797456.jpg" width="132" /></a>If you remember my review of <i><a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/ya-review-pantomime-laura-lam-strange.html">Pantomime</a></i> then you've got a great memory - well done. If not, the gist was that I loved it and it brought me out of a reading slump so top marks all around. So of course I read the sequel <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17797456-shadowplay?ac=1">Shadowplay</a></i> and loved that too - more Micah, more Drystan, more magical sexual tension than you could shake a stick at (not that I would shake a stick in the face of sexual tension - that would be very odd behaviour). As a result of my love for these, <a href="http://www.thebookseller.com/news/angry-robot-closes-exhibit-and-strange-chemistry-imprints.html">I was very sad to hear that the publisher of these fine books, Strange Chemistry, was folding</a>. However, I also love a good silver lining and the author Laura Lam has already self-published a short story, <i><a href="http://staticsplit.wordpress.com/2014/06/05/the-first-vestigial-tale-the-snake-charm-is-now-live/">The Snake Charm</a> </i>about Drystan before he met Micah, <a href="http://staticsplit.wordpress.com/2014/02/11/im-hybridizing-a-little-about-vestigal-tales/">with more stories to follow and perhaps a third book in this series</a>...<br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1314375864l/12043771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="This is Not a Test" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1314375864l/12043771.jpg" width="133" /></a>I'm not quite sure how I can sum up reading a Courtney Summers book. I finished <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3521484-cracked-up-to-be?ac=1">Cracked Up to Be</a></i> a while back and I barely said a word about it because I couldn't form a coherent sentence that summed up my feelings, apart from perhaps 'I would saw off my right arm to be able to write a book like this.' <a href="http://www.weartheoldcoat.com/">Jo</a> buys the best presents and she didn't let me down at Christmas with a copy of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12043771-this-is-not-a-test?ac=1">This is Not a Test</a></i>. Just read it. Please. You'll know what I'm on about then. Oh, and there's going to be a sequel.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22432577-please-remain-calm">THERE'S GOING TO BE A SEQUEL</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329960211l/8187385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Dead Man's Cove (Laura Marlin Mysteries, #1)" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329960211l/8187385.jpg" /></a>I've been increasingly drawn to middle grade books (do we call them middle grade in the UK? Apologies if we don't) and they've been another thing that has rescued me from many a reading slump recently. My eldest daughter is just getting to an age where she's starting to enjoy chapter books and I'm getting great satisfaction out of stockpiling titles that I'll probably foist upon her at some point in the future. First one? <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8187385-dead-man-s-cove?ac=1">Dead Man's Cove</a> </i>by Lauren St. John. Think Enid Blyton but as contemporary as they come. I would have adored this when I was nine or ten because I adored it when I read it a couple of weeks ago. Proper good mystery, topical, beautifully written, just ace.<br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352014518l/16126716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Dead Romantic" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1352014518l/16126716.jpg" width="129" /></a>I'd been meaning to start a book by CJ Skuse for ages because <a href="https://twitter.com/CeejaytheAuthor">she is one of the funniest people on Twitter </a>and now I feel stupid for leaving it so long - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16126716-dead-romantic?ac=1">Dead Romantic</a></i> is very amusing, very British, very icky and very very very very very good. A YA contemp with an undercurrent of T<i>he League of Gentleman, </i>if you can imagine such a thing. Go read now please.<br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380372541l/18138917.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Trouble" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380372541l/18138917.jpg" width="130" /></a>Talking of YA contemp, if you haven't read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18138917-trouble?ac=1">Trouble</a></i> by Non Pratt yet, I think you need to have a good long think about your life choices. Please do not think this is an 'issue' book and you must therefore avoid. Because as we all know, when books that are written about the big stuff (teenage pregnancy in this case) are well written (as in this case), then that's a good as books get (as in this case).<br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1373868343l/16160797.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1)" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1373868343l/16160797.jpg" width="128" /></a>Do you remember where you were when you found out that Robert Galbraith was none other than JK Rowling? Ok, so we didn't have a clue who Robert Galbraith was but still, the news that she had written a crime novel was a welcome one. It took me a criminally long time to get around to reading <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16160797-the-cuckoo-s-calling?ac=1">The Cuckoo's Calling</a> </i>but as I suspected, she does this sort of thing very well indeed. And the fact that a novel written by JK Rowling contains the word 'pubehead' pleases me greatly.<br />
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<a href="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338161553l/11447921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Beautiful Ruins" border="0" height="200" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338161553l/11447921.jpg" width="130" /></a><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11447921-beautiful-ruins?ac=1">Beautiful Ruins</a></i> was the first bit of literary fiction I'd read in quite a while and it was my 'dipping into when on the bus or tube' book. It wasn't until about a third of the way through that I really started to get lost in it and this is why I don't read literary fiction that much anymore - I have the attention span of a gnat these days - but then again, it makes it all the more satisfactory when a title holds me within it's grip like this one did. And it made me cry on the bus. 'Nuff said.<br />
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Better finish here because this post is getting far too long but I promise I'm going to start writing proper reviews again soon...<br />
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<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-158867612713940922014-06-18T13:34:00.001+01:002014-06-18T13:34:48.777+01:00It's been a while...It really has.<br />
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I've been wanting to get back to blogging again for ages, but there's always been a combination of things stopping me, the main one being my own ability to procrastinate at all costs.<br />
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And then there's the added pressure that comes with choosing to review books on a regular basis, that underlying guilt when you finish one, leave it a while and say 'oh, I'll probably write a review next week', but then you start another book and another and before you realise it, several months have gone passed and you've all but given up on the reviews, because, really, what's the point?<br />
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And then you start to miss it, writing and discussing books, writing for the love of it, writing because you can and not because you have to.<br />
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And then there's the more practical reasons associated with non-blogging - life stuff, moving house, family, work, not being able to bear to look at the screen of my laptop in the evenings without my eyes glazing over. The usual.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jzTk7e5oH59yn-IZHTf5r6Q9UfjFbolktTjmImqMEPQ4REXnRyp2EK2wtDBUPD-ahhT5Dvue8Xw8YufzU4KPvJlwUjXbR-AnrbZza0HP-LAMNlMHbwgs0O87vbRDVtxkx7asimu8yYGz/s1600/IMAG0627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jzTk7e5oH59yn-IZHTf5r6Q9UfjFbolktTjmImqMEPQ4REXnRyp2EK2wtDBUPD-ahhT5Dvue8Xw8YufzU4KPvJlwUjXbR-AnrbZza0HP-LAMNlMHbwgs0O87vbRDVtxkx7asimu8yYGz/s1600/IMAG0627.jpg" height="200" width="113" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiiu4pBEoVW-peBWXftCJu0f_R3tFvcgWfPliakns3e8KU7vkip7ZKSD9NP_6zM1MQHMmXSw6a-Rmh9m7TnT9aeQq-6vAb-qf1hpxwomv8qcuaT8kcAHWUDuFGfX2SJw7TaowWSrqzjTdn/s1600/IMAG0617.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiiu4pBEoVW-peBWXftCJu0f_R3tFvcgWfPliakns3e8KU7vkip7ZKSD9NP_6zM1MQHMmXSw6a-Rmh9m7TnT9aeQq-6vAb-qf1hpxwomv8qcuaT8kcAHWUDuFGfX2SJw7TaowWSrqzjTdn/s1600/IMAG0617.jpg" height="113" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8LztD4dQlLs3rgWvVLJ0AfU8jhGhG2uShROAsbKo3P6PgQ3ya9ysj4jkf97cur9BVSnck0_goNZYRGn5C4BPrvgh7Ze1JsT7vi7dgHnV2UYsarv78AkHwiY-gdymeYFDPtrXm95shIUB/s1600/IMAG0669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8LztD4dQlLs3rgWvVLJ0AfU8jhGhG2uShROAsbKo3P6PgQ3ya9ysj4jkf97cur9BVSnck0_goNZYRGn5C4BPrvgh7Ze1JsT7vi7dgHnV2UYsarv78AkHwiY-gdymeYFDPtrXm95shIUB/s1600/IMAG0669.jpg" height="200" width="113" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Things I found whilst packing, some more respectable than others.</span></b></div>
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Which all brings me back to right now. This blog has alwasy had a reading and writing theme and this has mostly been to do with YA because that's what I like to read and write about. This probably isn't going to change in the future but I think I'm going to enjoy the fact that my blog doesn't really have any particular theme or remit and write about other stuff too. Life stuff, books other than YA (which I have been reading a bit of recently) and maybe even bits of my own writing. Who knows.<br />
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Anyway, in short, I'm back for a bit. Not going to make any promises, but here are a few things you can expect in the coming weeks, months etc...<br />
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I recently attended the Judy Blume talk in London and I still can't get over the fact that I sat a few feet away from Judy Blume. JUDY FRICKIN' BLUME. When I think about my favourite books as a kid and a teenager, I think about <i>Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Superfudge, Deenie, Are you There God? It's Me Margaret</i> and <i>Tiger Eyes, s</i>o not only did this talk bring a huge grin to my chops, but it's also inspired me to read the Judy Blume back catalogue, to revisit those old favourites and discover the ones that weren't stocked by my local library the first time round.<br />
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(By the way, this will be a lot of different blog posts over a long period of time, not one MAMMOTH JUDY BLUME POST, as amazing as that would be).<br />
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Before that though, I'm going to write a bit about all the books I've enjoyed and haven't reviewed in the last six months or so, because they deserve a little bit of love for being so fantastic.<br />
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But that's for next week. This week is about me saying hello again and this photo....<br />
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<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-10847455374126224662014-01-03T09:30:00.000+00:002014-01-03T09:30:03.077+00:00Guest Post: Jeff Norton, Author of the MetaWars Series<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=2c06ec1019&view=fimg&th=142ebca43590dc99&attid=0.1.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-FZ2DuMEgWbXjk5F52TepggJZSvy5-51jzLiFZftZJ9lT7H6SMM0UkZilhlT4eXPFMnoLuwWwCS7yUwjcmNh8JrgVrwliXFWxQtzZKAynY32t2TDo4HmajG7A&ats=1388418018807&rm=142ebca43590dc99&zw&sz=w1168-h551" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Displaying MetaWars4_BlogTourBanner1.jpg" border="0" height="160" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=2c06ec1019&view=fimg&th=142ebca43590dc99&attid=0.1.1&disp=inline&safe=1&attbid=ANGjdJ-FZ2DuMEgWbXjk5F52TepggJZSvy5-51jzLiFZftZJ9lT7H6SMM0UkZilhlT4eXPFMnoLuwWwCS7yUwjcmNh8JrgVrwliXFWxQtzZKAynY32t2TDo4HmajG7A&ats=1388418018807&rm=142ebca43590dc99&zw&sz=w1168-h551" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><b>A little while ago, <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/ya-review-metawars-fight-for-future.html">I reviewed the first book in the MetaWars series</a>, a interesting and fast-moving take on the dystopian genre. Well, now that series is coming to an end with the release of the fourth and last book, so today, I welcome the author Jeff Norton, to talk about the mixed feelings that come with saying goodbye to characters after a long journey together...</b></span></div>
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<a href="https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-prn1/c205.44.550.550/s160x160/547893_138917416236251_1738756276_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Jeff Norton" border="0" src="https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-prn1/c205.44.550.550/s160x160/547893_138917416236251_1738756276_n.jpg" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><i>I’ve spent the past four years with my
characters. And now it’s time to say
goodbye.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>Characters occupy a strange part of a
writer’s brain, an uncharted netherworld somewhere between dream and reality. To me, these people are real. I see them. I
hear them. But to everyone else, they are fictional constructs that exist only
on the page.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>My greatest hope is that Jonah and Sam
become as real to the reader as they are to me. They’ve already made the great
leap from my brain to the page. And now
they exist on their own, for readers to meet and inspect and analyze. I’ve done what I can. It’s up to them to make
the final jump from page to heart, to take up residence in some small corner of
the reader’s life. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1384898371l/18866512.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Metawars: The Freedom Frontier (Metawars, #4)" border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1384898371l/18866512.jpg" width="130" /></a><span lang="EN-US"><i>If you’ve read the MetaWars novels, you’ll
know that immortality is a central theme of the books. In the world I’ve created, people yearn to
live forever in a digital way – “Uploading” their consciousness to the internet
in order to outlive their mortal bodies – digital immortality. And I suppose that’s what I hope to achieve
for my characters. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>Long after I’m gone, like authors of long
gone generations, I hope that future readers will discover Jonah’s quest, his
troublesome coming of age in a confusing world, and his friendship with Sam,
and the two main characters will live anew in the mind of those unknowable, future
readers. Likely, they’ll read the books
in some digital form that we haven’t yet dreamed up, and not on paper, and in
that way, reality will mirror fiction: Jonah and Sam will achieve their digital
immortality. They will outlive me,
outlive their current physical (paperback) form, and jump from generation to
generation along a digital spectrum. And
if they do that, they can truly live forever and my “goodbye” will not final.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<b>Thank you so much Jeff for sharing this rather moving take on well-loved characters. And I'll be reviewing some more of the MetaWars book in the very near future...</b></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><i>Jeff Norton is the author of the MetaWars
saga from Orchard Books. The final
installment, MetaWars 4.0: The Freedom Frontier publishes 2<sup>nd</sup>
January, 2014. Find Jeff on the web at <a href="http://www.jeffnorton.com/">www.jeffnorton.com</a>, twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/thejeffnorton">www.twitter.com/thejeffnorton</a>
and facebook at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/thejeffnorton">www.facebook.com/thejeffnorton</a>.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-80908884294356537352013-12-13T14:35:00.005+00:002013-12-13T14:35:58.714+00:00Past on Paper - 1940s Review - 'That Burning Summer', Lydia Syson (Hot Key Books, 2013)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsP3jhRFSfmUtYVEmOsIcu4w93-qLEbRct3QWZaT5k46lhoLFNVaTro9-rw-ZAEail0GXerwErYIj2sUq0V4Z6FaAEm1U7ZG1xu6GM-bdt91GVQMAcE30G_LDELOZOZRLwrQPwQ5HqHYHT/s1600/Past+on+Paper+Feature+Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsP3jhRFSfmUtYVEmOsIcu4w93-qLEbRct3QWZaT5k46lhoLFNVaTro9-rw-ZAEail0GXerwErYIj2sUq0V4Z6FaAEm1U7ZG1xu6GM-bdt91GVQMAcE30G_LDELOZOZRLwrQPwQ5HqHYHT/s320/Past+on+Paper+Feature+Logo.jpg" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><i style="font-weight: bold;">Romney Marsh, July 1940. When invasion threatens, you have to grow up quickly. Sixteen-year-old Peggy has been putting on a brave face since the fall of France, but now the enemy is overhead, and the rules are changing all the time. Staying on the right side of the law proves harder than she expects when a plane crash-lands in the Marsh: it's Peggy who finds its pathetic, broken pilot; a young Polish man, Henryk, who stays hidden in a remote church, secretly cared for by Peggy. As something more blossoms between the two, Peggy's brother Ernest's curiosity peaks and other secrets come to light, forcing Peggy and Henryk to question all the loyalties and beliefs they thought they held dear. </i>(<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18049960-that-burning-summer?ac=1">Synopsis from Goodreads</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Quick warning: the odd spoiler on the horizon folks...</span><br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1370795518l/18049960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="That Burning Summer" border="0" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1370795518l/18049960.jpg" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">With that amazing title and a synopsis that strongly hints of a secret wartime love affair, you'd be </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">forgiven for thinking that this book is an out-and-out romance. Ok, it </span><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">is</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> a bit of an out-and-out romance, but as much as I adored this particular relationship and the mammoth objects put in its path, the thing I took away was a different sort of fire - having the strength to cope with the day-to-day realities during some of the most difficult and tense events in history.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">As with <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/ya-review-world-between-us-lydia-syson.html">her previous book</a>, Syson's writing takes a particular point and place in the past and opens it up in a way I don't think I've come across in YA before. All the research and attention to detail is evident, yet it never feels like you're sitting through a history lesson. Or maybe just like you're experiencing <i>the best history lesson ever</i>. This book not only sheds light on the contribution of Polish pilots to the war effort, but also the story of those who chose to stand by their pacifist principles in the face of overwhelming pressure and the ripple effects this had on their families. I was initially a bit apprehensive about the large part Peggy's younger brother Ernest appeared to be playing in the story ( just wanted to get to the kissing bits to be honest), but his journey and how this tallied with Henryk's experiences, ended up being my favourite part of the book. This is a tale about a different sort of war time bravery - of coping with overwhelming mental as well as physical hurdles as well as standing up for beliefs in the face of public opinion and convention. But w</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">ith all the complex issues floating about, there is still a strong and powerful chemistry between Peggy and Henryk that was a joy to read. Some of the scenes actually made my page CRACKLE, I swear. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">As with all the best historical fiction, this provides a new perspective on a period that has been depicted on paper many, many times before. It's a <i>very </i>welcome addition to the growing number of YA books set during this period that I've had the pleasure to read in the last couple of years. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Not only does it make you think AND swoon, but there's also does a rather good sideline in suspense too. Oh, and the cover's ace as well. Seriously, what more could you want? </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">If it turns out you DO want more, then </span><a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/past-on-paper-interview-with-lydia.html" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">have a read of my interview with Lydia Syson</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"> in which she discusses writing historical young adult fiction and the presence of politics in YA. You're welcome.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span>Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-37701602636030564132013-11-26T11:41:00.001+00:002013-11-26T11:41:42.099+00:00Interview: Bridget Tyler, Author of 'Drummer Girl'<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJobM64iId4xeDOAJX0qk6JlENO0-PkM6_d0zE0mTWj3PxX1alo4S4ko17yceIqIdRZhoBTYc4X11dJldbwL-zXiVo_lGps5kToNtI7sWs2m_P9H8va_YggDpXqtioyeNQwWyGeg0PqV1K/s1600/bridget_tyler+(1).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJobM64iId4xeDOAJX0qk6JlENO0-PkM6_d0zE0mTWj3PxX1alo4S4ko17yceIqIdRZhoBTYc4X11dJldbwL-zXiVo_lGps5kToNtI7sWs2m_P9H8va_YggDpXqtioyeNQwWyGeg0PqV1K/s200/bridget_tyler+(1).jpeg" width="150" /></a>You may remember <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/ya-review-drummer-girl-bridget-tyler.html">my review of <i>Drummer Girl</i></a> from a weeks back - this addictive tale of a group of London school girls winging their way to LA to take part in a reality show is a great page turner with the snappiest of snappy dialogue. Today I welcome author and screenwriter Bridget Tyler to my blog to chat about pop culture, friendship and happy endings in YA...<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>What first drew you to writing for young adults and what were your favourite reads at this
age? </b></span><br />
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>I love
writing for Young Adults because I think great stories about growing up have
more impact on us over the course of our lives as readers than any other kind
of book. I still remember the books I loved when I was a teenager vividly – <i>The
Chronicles of Prydain</i> by Lloyd Alexander, the <i>Nancy Drew </i>series, <i>The Dark is
Rising</i> series by Susan Cooper, anything by Anne McCaffrey, <i>Harry Potter</i>… the
list goes on. Those characters, and their journeys, helped me understand and
survive my teenage years and I will never forget them. If I can tell just one
story that makes someone else feel that way, then I will consider myself a
success.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <b>Pop
culture and current trends are a major part of Drummer Girl – what do you think
are the pros and cons of writing about music in YA? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Obviously,
anything related to pop culture is dangerous in a book because it is bound to
be out of date in a heartbeat. That’s why, as much as <i>Drummer Girl</i> takes place
during a reality competition, I worked hard to avoid too many references to
contemporary pop culture. You’ll notice as you read that most of the specific
references made to bands are either to icons like Madonna and the Beatles, or
to fake bands that only exist in the world of <i>Drummer Girl</i>. I even tried to
stick to fairly classic styles when mentioning clothes, hair and make up while
still being on trend. I used the framework of reality television and the music
business, but I really wanted to be sure <i>Drummer Girl</i> was also about these five
girls and their friendship not about the world they find themselves in.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1378831274l/16691515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Drummer Girl" border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1378831274l/16691515.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: -18pt;"> <b>You’ve
clearly got a knack for both authentic US and UK dialogue – how does writing
dialogue for novels differ from screenwriting?</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">-</span><span style="font-size: 7pt; text-indent: -18pt;"> </span><span style="text-indent: -18pt;">Not much,
actually. Whether I’m writing a book or a screenplay, I read the piece out loud
to myself many, many times before it’s finished. It’s really the only way to
tell if dialogue is going to ring true or not, at least for me. The biggest
difference with the dialogue in a novel is that you don’t have to make the
characters say as many things out loud. In a script, I might need a character
to say, “Wait. Mum can’t possibly know we cut school last week. She spoke to
Mrs. James this morning and neither of us is grounded. What are you up to?” because
otherwise the audience has no way of knowing what’s happening in the
character’s head. In a novel, I might do
this instead:</span></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Molly stopped short, starring at her sister as she dug through her
dresser drawers. No matter what Jane said, Mum couldn’t possibly know that
they’d cut school. She’d spoken to Mrs. James this morning and everything.
They’d be beyond grounded if either had a clue. So what was Jane up to? </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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See
the difference? Finding organic and natural ways for characters to say what
they’re thinking out loud is actually one of the most challenging aspects of
screenwriting.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><b>Friendship
is a strong theme in <i>Drummer Girl</i> – do you think this is something we should be
seeing more of in YA and what other themes do you think deserve more attention? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Yes, I
think friendship, particularly female friendship, is highly under utilized in
YA and in storytelling in general. Friends are such an important part of the
growing up experience – good friends make everything so much better and bad
ones can be downright dangerous, in the wrong situation. Romance is fun, and
there’s a lot of that in <i>Drummer Girl</i> too, but it isn’t the only kind of
relationship out there to explore. As for other topics that could use more
attention, this isn’t exactly a theme but I have to say I think it’s important
for YA writers to create more characters who are into science, female
characters in particular. Too often math and science gets ignored, or even
vilified, in teen literature. Those fields are both truly fascinating and very
important for the future – we should be telling stories that encourage people
to be interested in them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <b><i>Drummer
Girl </i>has an incredibly fast-paced plot – how do you ensure that this is
balanced out with strong characters? </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>Well this
is another trick that comes from screenwriting – plotting that doesn’t develop
the characters is going to end up being boring and character development that
doesn’t advance the plot has a good chance of ending up on the cutting room
floor. The goal is to make every new twist and turn of the plot service the
characters so that you don’t need to slow down and take a detour in order to
develop them. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>And
finally, how important do you think ‘happy endings’ are in YA?</b></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->-<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span>I think
every story deserves the ending that best fits it. Some stories end well, some
don’t. There are happy endings in Drummer Girl and very, very sad ones. And a
few that are in between. That’s the way life is. The one thing I do think all
stories should have is hope. I think there is a place in the world for bleak
stories that lack hope for the future, but they aren’t the kind of stories I
chose to tell, nor are they the kind of stories I like to read. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 17px;"><b>I'd like to thank Bridget for taking the time out to answer my questions and in particular, those very handing tips on writing dialogue. So thank you Bridget - I'm certainly looking forward to your future YA titles! And it's always nice to find a fellow Nancy Drew fan...</b></span></span></div>
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Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-56159315250997907072013-11-15T13:40:00.001+00:002013-11-15T13:40:43.231+00:00I Need to Get Out More #5 - Wood Green Literary FestivalI don't normally manage to get out to literary or author events too often, so I was especially pleased to make it to a couple of events taking place as part of the <a href="http://www.woodgreenlitfest.org.uk/">Wood Green Literary Festival</a> a few weeks back. I'm usually pretty clueless when it comes to doing write-ups (I suppose it's a good thing that I don't get the chance to do too many then), so I thought I'd take a different approach with this one as look at a few of the points raised and see how I can relate them to my own writing...<br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1351693599l/16120429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="16120429" border="0" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1351693599l/16120429.jpg" /></a>The first talk was about Uncovering Ancient London and featured Lydia Syson and Catherine Johnson. Now, if you follow my blog, you'll know that <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/ya-review-world-between-us-lydia-syson.html">I'm a big fan of Lydia's writing</a> and you can find out her thoughts on political YA in <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/past-on-paper-interview-with-lydia.html">this interview</a> from a little while back. As you can imagine, it was very interesting to get a writer's perspective on how London history has made them tick. Catherine Johnson talked animatedly about how a trip to the Huntarian Museum inspired her to write <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16120429-sawbones?ac=1">Sawbones</a>, a book that sounds delightfully gruesome and rich in the historical detail of the backstreets of this city. Lydia Syson talked about how she is a fifth generation Londoner, something that is quite rare this days, and how she has grown up to appreciate the rich history London has to offer, in particular, surprising facts about her family history.<br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1370795518l/18049960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="That Burning Summer" border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1370795518l/18049960.jpg" width="130" /></a>This got me thinking about stories that my own family have told me. I've lived in west London on and off for the last ten years, but I was brought up in a commuter town after my parents moved away from their original west London haunt. My dad used to tell me stories about when he used to place Underground Hide and Seek on the tube with his friends as a teenager. You might be able to guess what it involved...basically, jump on a train, jump off at different stations and try to remain illusive to the person tasked to find you. I had completely forgotten about this story up until that moment, and now it's taking pride of place in my notes for something I'm planning about London set in the 1960s. It's nice to be reminded that I couldn't live anywhere better in the world when it comes to writing about the past, so thank you lovely authors!<br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344701931l/13584722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="When I Was Joe" border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1344701931l/13584722.jpg" width="126" /></a>The second talk I attended featured <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/ya-review-when-i-was-joe-keren-david_11.html">Keren David</a> and Hilary Freeman discussing Edgy YA Fiction. This is of particular interest to me right as I'm currently working on a contemporary YA, although I don't know if I'd describe it as particularly 'edgy', but I suppose that was the whole point of the discussion - what does constitute edgy YA and how do you get the balance right? One of the issues that has been at the forefront of my mind recently (especially now I am at the editing stage) is swearing in YA. A while back, I read <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2012/jul/11/james-dawson-why-teens-books-cannot-swear">this interesting article by James Dawson</a> which got me thinking about whether established authors are in a better position to have swearing feature in their books rather than debut novelists. However, both authors didn't think this was really the case and that all authors need to compromise to a certain extent on this depending on the market.<br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347390971l/7993173.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Lifted. Hilary Freeman" border="0" height="200" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1347390971l/7993173.jpg" width="127" /></a>When I first started working my MS, I was given some advice that I've always found useful - when it comes to swearing, don't censor yourself in the early stages - it's more important to get the first draft done and you can always compromise on this at the editing stage. Needless to say, my first draft was as potty-mouthed as it gets and I remember reading it back and blushing. As I'm going through my chapters now, I can appreciate that a little goes a long way in this respect. I think it's important to get my dialogue as authentic as possible (and this includes using swear words), but perhaps using too many can have the same effect as using none - it might only succeed in distracting from the story.<br />
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All in all, this was a great, informative afternoon, and I've very much looking to venturing north again next year. My only criticism would be that the talks were too short! I could have listened to them all for hours...<br />
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<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-81456970649209692592013-11-04T14:21:00.002+00:002013-11-04T14:21:19.813+00:00YA REVIEW - 'Drummer Girl', Bridget Tyler (Templar Publishing 2013)<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b><i>It was supposed to be the summer of her life. Instead, 17-year-old Lucy finds her best friend Harper shot dead in an LA swimming pool. How did it come to this? Lucy Gosling is the drummer in Crush, a rock band formed by five London schoolgirls that has just won the UK semi-final of an international talent contest. But when the band lands in Hollywood for the big final, things are not quite as they seem. The band's lead singer, Harper, has just one thing on her mind - using sex, drugs and rock and roll, not to mention Crush itself, to win back her bad-news ex-boyfriend. Lucy must decide whether she's playing to Harper's tune, or setting the rhythm for the rest of the band</i></b> (<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16691515-drummer-girl?ac=1">Synopsis from Goodreads</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">When I read a YA that features a heavy dose of pop culture, I sometimes have mixed feelings - not </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">because it's a a terrible subject to explore, not at all, in fact. More that I worry about the future. Mostly because I am a worrier in general, but also because I get all concerned about how relevant this is going to be in a few years time. But then, just as I started writing this review and waffling on about this, it dawned on me that reality telly isn't exactly a new phenomemon - how many years has <i>The X Factor </i>been with us? - so does that mean it's here to stay and that I am worrying about nothing? (probably). Anyway, my point in relation to <i>Drummer Girl</i> is that I shouldn't really be worrying at all. Because even though this book is full to the brim with pop culture and TV shenanigans, it embraces it and is all the better for that.</span><br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1378831274l/16691515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Drummer Girl" border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1378831274l/16691515.jpg" width="208" /></a>Saying the plot is fast-paced does not do it justice - within the space of a few chapters, friendships have been shattered and reformed, a band has been pulled together, we moved from London to LA and we haven't even begun to touch on the tales of romance, addiction, underdogs, and glamour. But what I loved about <i>Drummer Girl </i>the most was the girl that held it all together - friendship. Even though action was most definitely the key factor, this is a book about friends and I don't think there's enough YA books where this is the driving force behind the story. Romances are very much on the periphery and it was all the more refreshing because of that.<br />
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The one thing I wasn't too sure about was the inclusion of a certain scene right at the start of the book. I wasn't going to mention it but now I've just realised that it features in the synopsis so I'm not really spoiling anything. I still can't make up my mind whether my knowledge of Harper's fate was necessary - on the one hand, I was desperate to find out how it came about, but on the other, would I have preferred to see more a twist at the end? I'm still undecided. Anyway, the book doesn't necessarily suffer from it and it's an interesting way to structure the story. And another thing worth mentioning is the dialogue. Occasionally, when UK characters feature in US novels, they either talk like they've just stepped off the set of <i>Mary Poppins</i> or they sound like they're trying to channel their inner Jason Statham, but the exchanges between the girls here ring true.<br />
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This book is gloriously addictive. I was halfway through it when we were struck by a power cut and I had to turn our flat upside down looking for an industrial-sized torch because I couldn't see any of the pages by candlelight.<br />
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And I <i>really</i> wanted to see those pages.<br />
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<i>This book was sent to me by the author in exchange for an honest review.</i><br />
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<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-62576693818299341792013-10-16T15:33:00.000+01:002013-11-08T10:13:46.217+00:00I Need to Get Out More #4 - FILM REVIEW: How I Live Now<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/RSaxm68PPT4?rel=0" width="560"></iframe>
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These days, about 90% of my movie-going habits consist of Saturday morning trips to the local old school cinema to watch the kids flick with the cheap tickets. So for me to go and see a new release, on the first day of its release, in the first screening, is a rare occasion indeed. Ok, so I didn't have much choice as to what time I could go to as I had to get back to pick the kids up from school, but whatever...<br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1181390368l/1145520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="How I Live Now" border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1181390368l/1145520.jpg" width="196" /></a>And by the way, yay from my first film review! To say I've been looking forward to this is a bit of an understatement. I first read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1145520.How_I_Live_Now">How I Live Now</a></i> a couple of years ago. I'd finished <i>What I Was</i> after picking it up by chance from my local library and then immediately deciding to consume the whole Meg Rosoff back catalogue. Actually, these books were some of the first YA novels I read (in my current period of YA love, not when I was a teenager) and consequently, they've have been burnt on my memory, not only for their brilliance, but also because they are partly responsible for my YA re-discovery.<br />
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However, it has also dawned on me that I haven't read <i>How I Live Now</i> since that first encounter a few years back (not sure why) and I have also lent my only copy to my best friend who has yet to return it, so I'm going to have to rely on my not very reliable memory when it comes to comparing the two. But, as you'll soon find out, the whole point of this review is that we shouldn't really be comparing the two at all...<br />
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<a href="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTU4NTg4NzgzMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTU1NTMxMDE@._V1_SX214_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="How I Live Now (2013) Poster" border="0" src="http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTU4NTg4NzgzMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTU1NTMxMDE@._V1_SX214_.jpg" /></a></div>
As with any book-to-film adaption, my anticipation is always a mixture of extreme and on occasions, uncontrollable, excitement and a touch of terror, because I reckon it's completely natural to think that any adaptation might not live up to the original prose. But after we came out of the cinema, I realised that when it comes to <i>How I Live Now</i>, this sort of worrying was a bit of a waste of time. Yes, they made some changes to the characters and the story, but that wasn't unexpected. What was more important to me was that the overall power of the story remained intact and it worked as a film, rather than a version of a book. There was one particular addition that I don't remember in the book (but like I said, it's been a while) that was especially moving. And heartbreaking. And let's face it, just horrific. But it also summed up the whole feel of the film for me. I don't know why I wasn't expecting it to be quite as dark as it was (the book is about a war after all), but this was powerful stuff indeed. Made all the more intense by the contrasting images of beauty and despair.<br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRvFyjM10w7QCkPLjuZoYXg9PU5BwU_zqw_FFOsLk7uiyVvAhs2" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRvFyjM10w7QCkPLjuZoYXg9PU5BwU_zqw_FFOsLk7uiyVvAhs2" width="200" /></a>My one quibble is that the central romance didn't quite have the effect I had hoped. I can see why they made certain changes to Edmund's character, but the way their unique bond was shown here didn't really work as well as it could have done. I could forgive the whole insta-love thing in the book because of the amazing prose, but on film, not so much. Saying that, I would have been quite happy staring at Edmond for two hours straight. Top marks for casting on that front...<br />
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This is an intriguing and beautiful film in it's own right, as well as a companion to the book, and I'm very glad that my uncontrollable excitement prior to viewing was justified.<br />
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Also, I recently found out that the girl who plays Piper also does the voice of Peppa Pig.<br />
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MIND BLOWN.<br />
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<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-33525129775874259352013-10-08T14:18:00.004+01:002013-10-08T14:18:33.684+01:00Past on Paper: 1970s YA REVIEW - 'Koh Tabu', Ann Kelley (Oxford University Press, 2010)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsP3jhRFSfmUtYVEmOsIcu4w93-qLEbRct3QWZaT5k46lhoLFNVaTro9-rw-ZAEail0GXerwErYIj2sUq0V4Z6FaAEm1U7ZG1xu6GM-bdt91GVQMAcE30G_LDELOZOZRLwrQPwQ5HqHYHT/s1600/Past+on+Paper+Feature+Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsP3jhRFSfmUtYVEmOsIcu4w93-qLEbRct3QWZaT5k46lhoLFNVaTro9-rw-ZAEail0GXerwErYIj2sUq0V4Z6FaAEm1U7ZG1xu6GM-bdt91GVQMAcE30G_LDELOZOZRLwrQPwQ5HqHYHT/s320/Past+on+Paper+Feature+Logo.jpg" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b><i>Fourteen-year-old Bonnie MacDonald couldn't be more excited for a camping trip on an island off the coast of Thailand with her fellow Amelia Earhart Cadets-the daughters of the men and women stationed there during the Vietnam War. But when a strong current deposits the girls on what their boatman calls the "forbidden island," things take a turn for the worse. </i></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b><i>What once seemed like a vacation in paradise has become a battle against the elements</i></b> (<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7632667-koh-tabu">Synopsis from Goodreads</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Gosh, this is a tricky one to review. But I shall try. You know that problem I was pondering <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/past-on-paper-1910s-ya-review-gathering.html">in my last </a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/past-on-paper-1910s-ya-review-gathering.html">Past on Paper review</a>? The one about whether to judge these books on how well they use their historical context? (I may have put it in a slightly more rambling, less coherent way). Well, this could perhaps be used as an example of <i>not</i> using your historical context to the best effect. Gah, I so wanted to love this one, because it sounded fantastic - a group of girls marooned on a far-flung Thai island in 1974. Doesn't it sound fantastic? </span><br />
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<a href="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1345539648l/7632667.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Koh Tabu." border="0" height="320" src="https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1345539648l/7632667.jpg" width="208" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Back to that old historical context thing. One of the many things that interested me about this was the time period, but if I hadn't known it was set in the 1970s, I'm not sure I would have been able to pin it down. Ok, so yes, it was set on a baron desert island, and they're not famous for their availability of cultural references, but there was very little in the voices or actions of some of the characters that felt like it they might stem from this time period specifically - more of just a general nod to the past. And I would have loved some more references to the historical events of the time too - how the war was impacting on them in particular - there were a few hints of family dramas, but this was very much a story about their current, more immediate crisis.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I think that might have been the problem, in that I was expecting so much and it just felt liked it lagged in a few areas. The story of adolescents stranded on a desert island isn't necessarily a new one, but the mention of it still promises so much drama and tension. Unfortunately, I didn't really get too much of this here. There <i>are</i> incredibly dramatic and sometimes tragic incidents, but I just wanted more emotion and build up. They seemed to just...happen. I've read a few books recently that have used a diary format to tell a story and I'm starting to think that this might be my problem - a lot of the immediacy of the events has been sacrificed to keep this method authentic and I don't think it really works for me as a reader.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">That said, there are still some very surprising, unusual and memorable developments, including one rather beautiful, evocative encounter with a stranger, and Bonnie is an engaging guide who is fully aware of her own shortcomings as well as those of her companions. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">In some ways, this is a brilliant, original idea for a YA and the sheer nature of the girls' predicament kept me turning the pages until the end. But this didn't really work for me as a historical novel, or a particularly thrilling one.</span>Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-66125176469851409112013-10-03T13:50:00.000+01:002013-10-03T13:55:09.401+01:00My YA Confessions #4 - Giving up is hard to do...I have feelings. Mixed ones. And they're made even more complicated by the fact that I feel guilty about having them in the first place.<br />
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Yes, I'm talking about giving up on books before the end.<br />
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I'm thinking I shouldn't have even used the words 'giving up..' in the title of this post - it sounds so negative and defeatist, when I generally don't think I'm doing anything wrong. Or am I? Reading is for enjoyment, pure and simple (unless you count those years of enforced reading lists) and when a books fails to grip I'm surely more than justified in leaving it be and moving onto something else. So why do I feel so guilty?<br />
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It recently began thinking about this a lot more because it happened to me with a book by new author. I had read a lot of excellent things about this title and I loved the sound of the premise. But halfway through and I was floundering - it felt repetitive, I was bored with the characters, I really didn't give a rat's arse about any of it anymore. It wasn't the worse book I'd ever read by any means, but it just was not for me at that particular moment in time. And I felt even more guilty about abandoning it than I would have done jumping ship from a title by someone who has sold millions of copies. Should I have given a new author a fair crack of the whip? (gosh there's a lot of questions in this post - I do apologise). I guess the same does for reviewing books by new authors too - I'm always more reluctant to outright criticise them, although I'm guessing that a review on my teeny-tiny blog won't affect their sales too much. But I have no such qualms about being critical of more famous books.<br />
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Actually, I always have a few qualms about this sort of thing generally, but that's book blogging for you.<br />
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Let's just take a moment to appreciate the word 'qualms'. QUALMS.<br />
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Anyway, I think another reason for my guilt stems from being in the midst of attempting to write a book myself. I've only just come to appreciate the amount of time, blood, sweat and tears that goes into the process and to not give a book a decent go shot seems unfair to these efforts.<br />
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Does the standing of the author affect your decision on whether to finish a book or not, or do you think we should treat all titles the same?<br />
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Have you gone back to a book you previously struggled with and been pleasantly surprised?<br />
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Let me know you thoughts on this one...<br />
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/0DjHKqb365A?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-77269676227946600712013-09-25T15:30:00.001+01:002013-09-25T15:30:20.006+01:00YA REVIEW - 'Pantomime', Laura Lam (Strange Chemistry, 2013)<b><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">R. H. Ragona’s Circus of Magic is the greatest circus of Ellada. Nestled among the glowing blue Penglass—remnants of a mysterious civilisation long gone—are wonders beyond the wildest imagination. It’s a place where anything seems possible, where if you close your eyes you can believe that the magic and knowledge of the vanished Chimaera is still there. It’s a place where anyone can hide. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Iphigenia Laurus, or Gene, the daughter of a noble family, is uncomfortable in corsets and crinoline, and prefers climbing trees to debutante balls. Micah Grey, a runaway living on the streets, joins the circus as an aerialist’s apprentice and soon becomes the circus’s rising star.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b><i>But Gene and Micah have balancing acts of their own to perform, and a secret in their blood that could unlock the mysteries of Ellada. </i></b>(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15797050-pantomime?ac=1">Synopsis from Goodreads</a>)</span><br />
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<a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348428535l/15797050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Pantomime (Pantomime, #1)" border="0" height="320" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348428535l/15797050.jpg" width="210" /></a>Oh my, oh my. I remember reading a lot of glowing reviews about this one when it was first released so I feel rather stupid for only getting around to picking it up now. I've recently been in one of those mini-reading slumps. My current book was dragging me down. You know when you're ploughing your way through but really not enjoying it and every time you pretend you haven't seen it lying around, waiting to be finished, the guilt eats away at you as you reach over for the remote control and watch some mind numbing sitcom repeat that you could recite in your sleep because you've seen it so many times before?<br />
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Yeah that. This state of affairs scares me. It makes me think that I'm going off books. It makes reading feel like a chore. It is a bad business.<br />
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Which is why I chose to jump ship and start something completely different. And this one could definitely be filed under different. Or unique. Or unlike anything I've read before.You get the idea.<br />
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It's pretty special.<br />
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I'm the first to admit that I struggle with fantasy sometimes. I think it's a time thing - with books that paint a particularly strong picture, I need to be completely absorbed fairly early on so they give me absolutely no choice - I HAVE to ignore everything else - until I've turned the last page. Otherwise it's just not happening. I have distractions (kids etc), that will pull me off the sofa and then my relationship with that book will never be the same again and we'll probably revert to the state of affairs detailed above.<br />
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Hello book slump.<br />
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But you might have already guessed that this didn't happen with <i>Pantomime</i>. As well as reading those great reviews a few months back, I was also reminded about this title when <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/i-need-to-get-out-more-2-event-young.html">I went to a seminar on LGBT characters and themes in YA</a>. I'm afraid on this particular subject, that's all I'm going to say in relation to this book for fear of the spoiler demon striking me down with a bolt of lightening, but I can tell you that it not only manages to portray this issue in a non 'issuey' way but also does something completely unique with it.<br />
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I can't really say much else about the story - the synopsis above does a much better job of it than my garbled attempt would - but as with any book that I adore, it's the writing and the characters that are pretty much perfect here. The stories and journeys of Micah and Gene are moving, intriguing, passionate, teaming with sexual tension and heartbreaking in the best and worst possible ways. The world of the circus and Ellada is rich with gorgeous imagery, detail and intriguing supporting characters and it's one I can't wait to get back to when the sequel comes out next year.<br />
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So put aside your life for a bit and get taken over.<br />
<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-55539971231920151162013-09-23T11:28:00.001+01:002013-09-23T11:58:02.133+01:00YA REVIEW ROUND UPThis is the first mini review-type round up that I've done. I've avoided them up until now because I'd rather just write a full review to do a book justice. However, over the summer, my reading habits became so erratic and disorganised that I'm left with no choice - if I don't write down something about these books now, then there will be no words written down about them at all, and that would be a shame. I don't post about every book I read, but I I do try to review the ones that I think I have an opinion on, good or bad, and these definitely come under that category. You might start seeing a few more of these posts from me in the future...<br />
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<b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10517177-we-can-be-heroes?ac=">We Can Be Heroes</a></i></b> - <b>Catherine Bruton</b> (Egmont UK, 2011)<br />
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<a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1329443315l/10517177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="We Can Be Heroes" border="0" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1329443315l/10517177.jpg" /></a>I had a lot to say about this one, but it's been a while since I finished it and as time goes by, it becomes a bit more difficult to articulate all those feelings in blog form. But in short, I loved it. It's so refreshing when a book manages to explore 'issues' without making it obvious that it's exploring the 'issues' - when the story and the characters take precedence over the 'issues' but never belittling their importance in the process. This deals with the after-effects of 9/11 in a bittersweet way - an interesting take on grief and present-day attitudes to race and religion with a authentic and utterly convincing voice. My only criticism is that it was a bit too long, but other than that, highly recommended for slightly younger readers.<br />
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<b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16101128-the-5th-wave?ac=1">The 5th Estate</a> </i></b>- <b>Rick Yancey</b> (Penguin, 2013)<br />
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<a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1359853842l/16101128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave, #1)" border="0" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1359853842l/16101128.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a>This is the problem with reading books that get a lot of great reviews - am I just setting myself up for disappointment? It's not that I didn't enjoy this one - it was an engrossing read, but I was expecting so much more. I don't read a lot of sci-fi, so in some ways, I don't think I'm the right person to judge, but some of the dialogue here was woeful. Think <i>Starship Troopers</i>, but with extra cheese. I liked the main character, Cassie and her story. That was, until a romantic element was introduced and just undermined the whole thing. He smelt of woodsmoke and chocolate. That says it all really. But my main problem was with the whole premise - as far as I could see, there was a far easier way to solve the whole 5th Wave thing than with the actual 5th Wave. I might continue with this series, I might not.<br />
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<b><i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10836484-hollow-pike?ac=1">Hollow Pike</a></i></b> - <b>James Dawson</b> (Indigo, 2012)<br />
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<a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1311348328l/10836484.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Hollow Pike" border="0" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1311348328l/10836484.jpg" height="200" width="126" /></a>Really enjoyed this one. In theory, I love mysteries. I grew up reading them. But for some reason, I've always been a bit weary about YA mysteries or ghost stories. Perhaps because there's nothing worse than a disappointing ending. But this one was more than satisfactory. Much more, in fact. Great characters, although I would have loved a bit more of Kitty, Delilah and Jack and I didn't have a clue what was going to happen next. Had a real <i>Scream</i> feel to proceedings, which in no bad thing in my opinion.Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-78952004434368446242013-09-09T09:30:00.000+01:002013-09-09T09:30:03.446+01:00YA REVIEW - 'Tomorrow, When The War Began', John Marsden (Quercus, 2011) (first published 1993)<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;"><b style="font-style: italic;">When Ellie and her friends return from a camping trip in the Australian bush, they find things hideously wrong — their families are gone. Gradually they begin to comprehend that their country has been invaded and everyone in their town has been taken prisoner. As the reality of the situation hits them, they must make a decision — run and hide, give themselves up and be with their families, or fight back. </b>(<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71865.Tomorrow_When_the_War_Began?from_search=true">Synopsis from Goodreads</a>)</span><br />
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I can't believe I'm saying this but I'd completely forgotten about John Marsden. Ridiculous, I know. The first book I'd read of his was when I was living in Brisbane, near a local library stocked to the hilt with titles from this Australian YA genius, so I had my pick of all the beautiful words. His contemporary stuff (ok, it's not strictly speaking up-to-the-minute contemporary) <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/review-so-much-to-tell-you-john-marsden.html">rocked me to my very core</a>, making it even more astonishing that he'd fallen off my radar over the last 18 months. So when I saw the Kindle edition of probably his most famous book (is this his most famous book? Any Aussies out there, please feel free to correct me) on offer, all the feels came flooding back. I was surely in for a guaranteed gripping read, wasn't I? Well...<br />
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I was a bit disappointed with this one to be honest. It pains me to admit it, but there were times when it became a bit of an effort. How is this possible from such a brilliant wordsmith? And a brilliant wordsmith doing dystopian? Sure, there was plenty of the fantastic trademark prose peppered across the chapters, but I felt so let down by how this story panned out. Choosing to write in a diary format didn't really help with the development of the plot and the characters. We do get to know Ellie really well, and I loved Ellie - so self-assured and confident and comfortable in her own skin - but with such a large cast, most of the others blended into the back ground, especially the girls. We're given scant outlines of their personalities, but shown very little evidence of them in action, especially the best friend Corrie. The boys were slightly better developed, but I never felt a connection or empathy with any of them. Kind of a weakness in a story which uses a strong group dynamic as its base.<br />
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Another disadvantage of using Ellie's diary to convey the action was that I was left with no sense of tension or danger. For example, at one point Ellie is writing down how Robyn recounted her escape from the soldiers. A fairly dramatic incident you might imagine - and yet their in no drama whatsoever, because we know Robyn is safe because she is there telling the story! And sometimes, the whole thing felt a bit like I was reading a Bear Grylls-style survival handbook - pages and pages of detailed dialogue describing what they were planning to do, their contingency plans if something went awry, what they did, what they shouldn't do, what they might do but probably don't have time to do.....etc etc. Not exactly snappy.<br />
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And then the romance - I just didn't get it. It came out of nowhere and what might have been a fairly promising love triangle (and I'm not usually a fan of love triangles) was dispensed with rather quickly, which left me wondering why he even bothered with it in the first place.<br />
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But my main problem was that I just didn't buy it. Any of it. Would they really be so clueless about an impending war? Why would there parents be happy for them to disappear off camping if such a war was looming? And then once the war started, they still didn't have a clue who the invaders were? Really? Perhaps all these questions are answered in the other books in the series. I'm still not a hundred percent sure whether I'll be picking them up to find out.<br />
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<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-86770118123625074252013-09-06T13:25:00.000+01:002013-09-06T13:29:56.825+01:00Obligatory Bloglovin PostTwo posts in one day is unheard of, I know, but I just thought I'd let you know that you can now <a href="https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4834657">follow me on Bloglovin...</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4834657/?claim=tcj5tp3d4bf">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a><br />
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And now, for your trouble, here's a picture...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8aaR83brBrbLSYP5WvmoS_YdhbOXQ2w4hsejbNwT9cYDm0Q_DslcXDIULdZtOBpZmPwmhpKlsMoSCgys3dYx5_ENb-GNWp9S0CPcppTDEqb745THb5Lckc_daWtSW6Y0PDY2J1rLohym/s1600/2012-12-13+11.07.05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL8aaR83brBrbLSYP5WvmoS_YdhbOXQ2w4hsejbNwT9cYDm0Q_DslcXDIULdZtOBpZmPwmhpKlsMoSCgys3dYx5_ENb-GNWp9S0CPcppTDEqb745THb5Lckc_daWtSW6Y0PDY2J1rLohym/s320/2012-12-13+11.07.05.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6914067450350420728.post-32937156461401488792013-09-06T11:48:00.000+01:002013-09-06T11:48:01.655+01:00Past on Paper: 1910s YA REVIEW - 'A Gathering Light', Jennifer Donnelly (Bloomsbury, 2003)<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsP3jhRFSfmUtYVEmOsIcu4w93-qLEbRct3QWZaT5k46lhoLFNVaTro9-rw-ZAEail0GXerwErYIj2sUq0V4Z6FaAEm1U7ZG1xu6GM-bdt91GVQMAcE30G_LDELOZOZRLwrQPwQ5HqHYHT/s1600/Past+on+Paper+Feature+Logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsP3jhRFSfmUtYVEmOsIcu4w93-qLEbRct3QWZaT5k46lhoLFNVaTro9-rw-ZAEail0GXerwErYIj2sUq0V4Z6FaAEm1U7ZG1xu6GM-bdt91GVQMAcE30G_LDELOZOZRLwrQPwQ5HqHYHT/s320/Past+on+Paper+Feature+Logo.jpg" /></a><b><i>Torn between a loyalty to her grief-stricken, struggling family, her first experience of romance and a burning desire to be a writer, a sad event forces Mattie to piece together a local mystery whilst making an important decision about her future.</i></b></div>
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I've been thinking a little too much about how I approach <a href="http://annascottjots.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/introducing-past-on-paper.html">this feature </a>- am I going to focus more on their historical context or just how good the story is? Unless I have easy access to a time machine, I'm not really in a position to judge their historical accuracy. Is this even important when reviewing book? Surely whether or not it's a gripping read should matter the most. You might have already gathered that I'm still a bit undecided about all of this. Maybe I should just get on and review the book...<br />
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Well, I'm a bit late to the party on this one. Ten years late to be accurate. <a href="http://www.weartheoldcoat.com/">Jo</a> told me to read it ages ago, but I'd been putting it of for some reason. This is always the way when I'm faced with an 'acclaimed' book - am I just setting myself up for inevitable disappointed? If I don't enjoy it as much as I feel I'm supposed to, does this mean I'm not getting it I'm being a bit thick? Or maybe I was just putting this one off because it has a bit of a boring cover. Probably a mixture of all of the above. God, I really need to stop asking all these questions and just get on with it.<br />
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I was definitely mulling over this a little too much, because it turns out there was no reason to worry whatsoever...<br />
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<a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348717970l/1342556.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="A Gathering Light" border="0" height="320" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348717970l/1342556.jpg" width="212" /></a>So here we are in the 1910s, in the US, in a place and period I know nothing about. The fact that whether I did or not is completely irrelevant is testament to just how fantastic this book is. With a historical novel, I think it can maybe go in one of two directions - building a story around a famous incident and having that dramatically impact on the characters and plot, or having the story just 'sitting' on its setting, absorbing attitudes and conventions of the time, but never being completely dictated by them. This book definitely falls into the latter camp - when we were introduced to Mattie and her surroundings, I was initially a bit wary that this was going to be overshadowed by ISSUES - attitudes towards women and race, for example - but it manages to explore these (which it should) without the brilliant central story getting lost at all. This is about Mattie and how she comes to make an important decision whilst being pulled in many different directions - a familiar YA set up and skillfully told with the perfect balance of plot, place, and prose. I was initially more intrigued by the real-life murder mystery element, but that's not what this book is about at all, rather it's used as a device to push Matt's story along and very beautifully it does it too.<br />
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<i>I remained on the ladder, looking at the figurine in my hand. </i>You're wrong, Aunt Josie<i>, I thought. </i>It's not pride I'm feeling. It's another sin<i>. Worse than all the other ones, which are immediate, violent, and hot. This one sits inside you quietly and eats you from the inside out like the trichina worms the pigs get. It's the Eight Deadly Sin. The one God left out. Hope.</i></div>
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The time shift method to a little while to get used to, but once all the pieces fall into place, this is an unusual, mind-blowing bit of story-telling. I highly recommend it whether you're after some cracking historical fiction or not.Anna Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12819871419555450689noreply@blogger.com3